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Preservation Case Study: Wilcox Park Set on fourteen acres in the heart of downtown Westerly, Rhode Island, Wilcox Park offers visitors an opportunity to experience one of the great park landscapes designed by Warren H. Manning (1860–1938). A broad, shallow basin with an open meadow in the center, the park is defined by high stone walls and a generous border of coniferous and broad-leaved evergreen trees and shrubs surrounding to the north, east, and west. A formal terrace provides a dramatic gateway from the south. The combination of topography, vegetation, and strong architectural features envelop visitors as they enter, shielding them from the commotion of the town beyond. Wilcox Park is a rare gem: Manning’s park designs represented less than 12 percent of his work, and Wilcox Park is one of the very few that have survived with its spatial integrity intact. Since the park’s construction in 1904, the Memorial and Library Association of Westerly have been its owners and administrators, maintaining as well records of its rich history—documents that have provided an important resource for subsequent preservation efforts. For park manager Alan Peck the benefits of being part of a larger organization are significant: “The library serves as a safe depository for all of the original park documents and provides vast resources including its website, staff, and indoor spaces for park functions.” Kathryn Taylor, director of the association, notes the vibrant involvement of the Westerly community, whose efforts range from “picking up trash to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the restoration currently under way.” She also points with pride to the very active group of seasonal volunteers who help maintain the gardens. Built in memory of Stephen Wilcox, inventor of the water tube steam boiler, Wilcox Park embodies the civic-minded philanthropy that led to its creation. Manning was hired in 1899 to design the park on a parcel of approximately seven acres, and he revised the plans in 1903. Construction began the following year. During Manning’s tenure, he worked within the boundaries of the original seven-acre parcel, but he encouraged the association to acquire adjoining land to allow the natural topography of the bowl to define the park’s perimeter. In 1905 the association was able to purchase the additional seven acres, and Manning’s concept was laid out by Frank Hamilton, a local landscape architect. There have been subsequent alterations to the design. In 1924 Arthur Shurcliff, who, like Manning, got his start as an Olmsted assistant, redesigned the formal terrace along the southern edge to align with the newly constructed town hall. In 1937 Shurcliff designed a war memorial sited on the eastern edge. After the great hurricane of 1938 downed more than one hundred mature trees in the park, the association had them replanted according to the original plans, mostly the native species preferred by Manning. In the 1960s and 1970s, the association added an arboretum-quality collection of trees and shrubs. Although Wilcox Park now represents many layers of history and stylistic differences, Sandra Jaquay-Wilson, a landscape architect and researcher for the LALH Warren H. Manning Research Project, notes that “Manning’s design intent, to provide a jewel of a park in the city center, is very well preserved and the park continues to be a beautiful and elegant site.” Wilcox Park is widely recognized by both national and international organizations as a significant historic designed landscape. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and in 1999 received a Centennial Medallion Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The park was also nominated as a Great Public Space by the Project for Public Spaces and in 2004 was named a “nationally significant” property on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that qualifies the park for federal funds. The National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation recently honored Wilcox Park with a “Save America’s Treasures” grant that was matched by The Champlin Foundations. A capital campaign has set a goal of an additional $7,000,000 for improvements to both the library and the park. These include replacing about 90 percent of the park’s walkways, re-pointing a Manning-designed footbridge and sections of original stone wall, re-creating lighting fixtures, restoring the fish pond added by Frank Hamilton in 1908, and installing a new irrigation system, with the fish pond as reservoir. In 2004 John Copley & Associates completed a master plan for the park which was recognized with a Merit Award from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects. Under the direction of Elmore Design Collaborative, the Memorial and Library Association has begun to reestablish historically appropriate shrubs and trees and to maintain existing plantings with a focus on restoring historic views into and within Wilcox Park. President Tom Elmore observes, “The Association has done a wonderful job over the years of preserving the integrity of Wilcox Park. While changes have occurred, the park’s significance and historic integrity have always been understood and been well respected. . . . Several historic and current designers have placed their handprint on this park but always with respect to Manning’s initial design ideas and considerations.” (See related articles on Manning’s work in Michigan and Ohio.) Photographs: |
